Cooperation Agreement
between
British-American Tobacco (Holdings) Limited
and The European Union as represented by the European
Commission
and The Signatory Member States of the European Union
This Agreement is made on the [] day of [] 2010 (the
"Execution Date")
BETWEEN
1. British-American Tobacco (Holdings) Limited
("BAT");
and
2. The European Union (the "EU") represented by the
European Commission;
and
3. The Member States who sign this Agreement (hereinafter
referred to as "Participating Member State" or
"Participating Member States").
RECITALS
Whereas:
1. recognising that the production of Counterfeits and the
smuggling of Cigarettes into and within the EU causes economic
loss to the Parties;
2. recognising that OLAF's mission is to protect the
financial interests of the EU and to combat illegal activities
which have financial consequences for the budget of the EU and
that OLAF has established a dedicated group to combat the
international trade in Counterfeit and smuggled Cigarettes;
3. recognising that it is the intention of the EU and the
Member States, each within their respective competencies and
subject to budgetary constraints, to continue and expand their
efforts to fight the production of Counterfeits and the smuggling
of Cigarettes;
4. acknowledging the need for the Parties to take effective
and efficient measures to eliminate Counterfeits and reduce and
prevent Cigarette smuggling, including but not limited to:
effective and focused policing of borders, protection of markets
from excessive over supply and the introduction of improved
identification of genuine BAT Cigarettes;
5. recognising that the fight against the illicit trade in
Cigarettes calls for binding co-operation between the tobacco
industry, the Member States and the EU;
6. acknowledging that the Parties' joint intention is to
establish ongoing means of cooperation through the mechanics of
this Agreement to combat the production of Counterfeits and the
smuggling of Cigarettes within, through or into the markets or
countries covered by this Agreement;
7. acknowledging that it is the Parties' intention to
improve awareness of, and continue to provide training on,
measures designed to prevent the illicit trade in Cigarettes
among relevant BAT Company employees and appropriate EU and
Participating Member States' personnel,
the Parties have agreed to and are hereby legally bound by the
following:
Definitions:
In this Agreement the following terms shall have the meanings
set out below:
"Agreement" shall mean this agreement and the
appendices hereto as it or they may be validly varied or modified
from time to time.
"BAT Cigarettes" shall mean Cigarettes which
bear a BAT Company trademark and which have been manufactured by
a BAT Company or any entity engaged by a BAT Company by means of
a contract manufacture or trademark license agreement.
"BAT Company" shall mean any company in the
BAT Group which is involved, at any time over the course of the
Agreement, in the manufacture, sale, distribution, warehousing,
shipping or transportation of BAT Cigarettes within, through or
into the markets or countries covered by this Agreement.
"BAT Group" shall mean the group of companies
comprising British American Tobacco p.l.c. and its direct and
indirect subsidiaries (for the avoidance of doubt being those
companies in which British American Tobacco p.l.c. or its direct
or indirect subsidiaries individually or together own shares
representing more than 50% of the issued share capital).
"Carton" shall mean a package containing 10
packs of Cigarettes (being approximately 200 Cigarettes in
total).
"Cigarette" shall mean any product that
contains tobacco and is intended to be burned or heated under
ordinary conditions of use and includes, without limitation, any
"roll your own" tobacco which, because of its
appearance, type, packaging or labelling is suitable for use and
likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as tobacco
for making Cigarettes. For the purpose of this Agreement, 0.0325
ounces of "roll-your-own" tobacco shall be considered
the equivalent of one individual Cigarette.
"Contractor" shall mean a First Purchaser or
any other person or entity engaged by contract by a BAT Company
to manufacture, sell, distribute and/or store BAT Cigarettes in
volumes in excess of 25,000,000 Cigarettes per year within,
through or into the markets or countries covered by this
Agreement.
"commercially reasonable," as used in
describing an act required herein, requires the obligated Party
to make reasonable business efforts in good faith, to accomplish
the relevant activity including incurring expenditure, assigning
staff and/or allocating resources as appropriate to comply with
the relevant activity.
"Cooperating Company" shall mean a company
that has entered into a binding agreement with the EU and some or
all of the Member States which covers cooperation in the fight
against Counterfeit and smuggled Cigarettes and which includes
obligations in relation to know-your-customer, track and trace
and monetary payments.
"Counterfeit" shall mean Cigarettes bearing a
trademark of a Cigarette manufacturer that are manufactured by a
third party without the consent of that Cigarette manufacturer,
authentic Cigarettes which have been repackaged into unauthorised
packaging without the knowledge or consent of the manufacturer or
unauthorised Cigarettes which were packed into authentic
packaging without the knowledge or consent of the manufacturer,
but shall in no event include: (i) Cigarettes manufactured by the
trademark holder or any affiliate thereof, regardless of the
actual or intended market of distribution; (ii) Cigarettes
bearing a trademark of a Cigarette manufacturer using tobacco
either produced by or sold by that Cigarette manufacturer; or
(iii) Cigarettes bearing a trademark of a Cigarette manufacturer
that are packaged in genuine packaging of that Cigarette
manufacturer, including genuine Cartons and Packs of that
Cigarette manufacturer.
"Documentary or Other Substantive Evidence"
shall mean (i) a criminal conviction in any official EU court or
tribunal for any offence relating to the manufacture, sale,
distribution and/or storage of Counterfeit product or contraband
Cigarettes or any other related illegal activity; or (ii) a
finding by any official EU court or tribunal in any civil case of
involvement in the manufacture, sale, distribution and/or storage
of Counterfeit product of contraband Cigarettes, or any other
related illegal activity; or (iii) a criminal conviction or a
civil finding, as outlined in (i) and (ii) above, in an official
court or tribunal of any other jurisdiction which has comparable
procedural safeguards and requires a comparable standard of proof
to those applicable in the EU.
"First Purchaser" shall mean any person or
entity, other than a BAT Company, which directly purchases BAT
Cigarettes from a BAT Company in an amount greater than
25,000,000 Cigarettes annually for sale, distribution or
consumption within, through or into the countries covered by this
Agreement.
"Intended Market of Retail Sale" shall mean
the market which the BAT Company intends as the market of either
domestic duty paid retail sale or duty-free retail sale for BAT
Cigarettes when a BAT Company sells such Cigarettes.
"Master Case" shall mean the packaging for a
case containing approximately 10,000 Cigarettes.
"Member State" shall mean the member states
of the EU.
"OLAF" shall mean the Anti-Fraud Office of
the European Commission or any successor thereof.
"Pack" shall mean packaging for approximately
20 Cigarettes.
"Party" or "Parties" shall mean a
Party or those Parties who have signed this Agreement.
"seizure" shall mean a seizure from a single
individual or entity (or in certain specific instances, multiple
individuals or entities if such individuals are reasonably
demonstrated to be acting in concert with one another), in a
single location (or in certain specific instances, multiple
locations in close proximity if such locations are reasonably
demonstrated to be part of the same scheme), at a single point in
time, (or in certain specific instances, multiple points in time
in close proximity if such instances are reasonably demonstrated
to be part of the same scheme).
1. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
1.1 BAT Companies have in place policies and procedures in
relation to the manufacture, sale, distribution and/or storage of
BAT Cigarettes in the markets or countries covered by this
Agreement. BAT will ensure that these policies and procedures are
consistent with the policies and procedures set out in this
Agreement, including the appendices and related arrangements
hereto (the "Policies and Procedures") and that
the Policies and Procedures are made known to BAT Company
employees and are available to them electronically on their
internal website along with related materials and reference to
the whistle-blowing procedure specified under paragraph 21 of
Appendix A.
1.2 BAT shall ensure that each BAT Company (for the avoidance
of doubt including any BAT Company incorporated after the
Execution Date hereof or which becomes a BAT Company because it
has initiated operations after the date hereof, to carry out the
manufacture, sale, distribution, warehousing, shipping or
transportation of BAT Cigarettes within, through or into the
markets or countries covered by this Agreement), complies with
the term of this Agreement, and undertakes that no BAT Group
company shall take any action to avoid or diminish the
obligations and commitments contained in this Agreement and
related arrangements.
2. MARKET AND PRODUCT
INFORMATION
2.1 BAT Companies will use commercially reasonable efforts to
carry out production and other procedures so that the packaging
for BAT Cigarettes bears the markings, codes and other indicators
set out in Appendix B in relation to identifying the markets for
BAT Cigarettes and the sales by BAT Companies of BAT Cigarettes
to their customers.
3. SEIZURES
3.1 (a) If there is a seizure by the authorities of any
Participating Member State of 50,000 or more Cigarettes bearing a
BAT Company trademark and which the authorities reasonably
believe to be BAT Cigarettes, the seizing Participating Member
State may notify OLAF of such seizure.
(b) Upon receipt by OLAF of specific notice of such a seizure
from the Participating Member State, OLAF may notify BAT of the
seizure of the presumed BAT Cigarettes.
(c) BAT shall then consult with the relevant authority of the
Participating Member State that made the seizure in order to
arrange for inspection of the seized Cigarettes and the taking of
samples by or on behalf of BAT within 30 days of receipt of the
seizure notification from OLAF in order to determine the origin
and source of the BAT Cigarettes, and whether they are
Counterfeit or genuine. The seizing authority may also select
samples that BAT must examine.
(d) The notice of seizure from OLAF shall specify:
(1) the brand or brands of Cigarettes;
(2) the quantity of Cigarettes;
(3) the date, time and place of the seizure;
(4) the indicated market of retail sale of the brands if
evident from the packaging;
(5) any indication of the market where it appears the
Cigarettes were instead intended to be sold or consumed; and
(6) any markings from the Master Cases indicating information
on the customer or shipping of the Cigarettes.
3.2 If the products are genuine BAT Cigarettes:
(a) BAT shall provide OLAF with the following information
concerning the seized BAT Cigarettes, if reasonably
available:
(1) the place of manufacture of the seized BAT Cigarettes;
(2) the date of manufacture of the seized BAT Cigarettes;
(3) the Intended Market of Retail Sale of the seized BAT
Cigarettes;
(4) any intervening warehousing and shipping;
(5) the identity of the First Purchaser of the seized BAT
Cigarettes;
(6) identification of the invoices to the First Purchaser in
respect of the seized BAT Cigarettes;
(7) payment records from the First Purchaser covering the
seized BAT Cigarettes; and
(8) if known, the identity of any subsequent customer.
(b) BAT, upon request, shall promptly advise OLAF (as soon as
the information is available and, if possible, by the end of the
next Business Day) of previous shipments to the First Purchaser
in the 3 months prior to the date of shipment of the seized BAT
Cigarettes to the First Purchaser, any current orders for BAT
Cigarettes, the volumes forecast and the volumes sold for the 12
months prior to the seizure, and the volumes forecast for the
following 12 months for the brands of seized BAT Cigarettes for
that market and that First Purchaser. Upon request, BAT shall
also provide copies of the invoices covering the seized BAT
Cigarettes sold by a BAT Company to the First Purchaser thereof,
as well as any payment records relating to payment received for
the seized BAT Cigarettes.
3.3 (a) If BAT determines that the seized products are
Counterfeit or that they are genuine Cigarettes but not BAT
Cigarettes, BAT shall advise OLAF of this, the reasons for such a
determination, including any appropriate documentation and
examination results, and shall provide information that any BAT
Company may have about the source of the products and the persons
or entities involved in the manufacture or distribution of the
seized products.
(b) The determination of whether Cigarettes are Counterfeit or
are not BAT Cigarettes shall involve consideration of the
following factors, which may be amended by agreement between the
Parties as new technologies and techniques are developed:
(1) the look, shape, colour and size of the packaging;
(2) the materials used in the packaging;
(3) the size, font, colour, language and content of the text
appearing on the packaging;
(4) the markings, codes, and stamps appearing on the
packaging;
(5) the look, shape, colour, and size of the Cigarettes;
(6) the markings on the Cigarettes;
(7) the materials used in the cigarette paper and filter;
(8) the nature, blend and quality of the tobacco; and
(9) all the ingredients of the Cigarettes.
(c) (1) If OLAF or the Participating Member State which seized
the BAT Cigarettes contests the determination that the seized
Cigarettes are Counterfeit or that they are genuine but not BAT
Cigarettes, OLAF shall so notify BAT.
(2) The matter will then be referred to a duly designated OLAF
representative and a duly designated BAT representative, who
shall meet and confer in good faith on the matter within 30 days
of the date of such notice in order to resolve the matter.
(3) If the matter remains unresolved within 45 days of such
meeting, the matter will be referred to an independent laboratory
designated by mutual agreement of the Parties by the Execution
Date. The determination of the independent laboratory shall be
final and shall take into account the factors listed in 3.3 (b)
and any other physical factors it considers relevant. Any costs
associated with the decision by the independent laboratory shall
be paid for by the non-prevailing Party.
3.4 (a) BAT will provide the information pursuant to Sections
3.2(a) and 3.3 (a), above, within 30 days of the date of
inspection by BAT, or 60 days of the date of notice under section
3.1 (b), whichever is earlier.
(b) BAT will provide the information pursuant to 3.2(b) above
promptly (as soon as the information is available, and, if
possible, by the end of the next Business Day).
3.5 Subject to Sections 3.7, 3.8 and 12, at the same time that
BAT provides the information pursuant to section 3.2 (a) above,
BAT will make a payment to such bank account nominated by the
European Commission in Brussels as follows:
(a) a payment equal to 100% of the taxes and duties that would
have been paid on the same or equivalent product in the
Participating Member State of seizure at the time of seizure, or,
if the same brand is not sold in the Participating Member State
of seizure, the taxes and duties that would have been paid on
similar legal product in the Participating Member State of
seizure at the time of seizure;
(b) if the seized BAT Cigarettes, when added to the number of
contraband BAT Cigarettes in the same calendar year seized in the
EU upon which payments are or have been due under Section 3.5(a)
above, results in a total that exceeds 150,000,000 BAT
Cigarettes, a second payment shall be made, equal to 400% of the
taxes and duties that would have been paid on the same or
equivalent legal product; or, if the same brand or brands is not
sold in the Participating Member State of seizure, 400% of the
taxes and duties that would have been paid on similar legal
product in the Participating Member State of seizure at the time
of seizure.
3.6 Payments under Section 3.5 shall be to compensate the EU
and the seizing Participating Member State for lost taxes, duties
and other costs, and may, in the case of payments under Section
3.5 (b), provide the EU and Participating Member States with a
source of additional funding for tobacco related anti-smuggling
and anti-Counterfeit efforts.
3.7 No payment shall be due under Section 3.5 above, and the
seized Cigarettes shall not be included in the calculation of
total seizures under section 3.5(b), when:
(a) the seized product was manufactured before the Execution
Date;
(b) the seized product is determined to be Counterfeit, or not
to have been manufactured or sold by a BAT Company;
(c) the seized product bears valid EU Member State tax
stamps;
(d) the seized product was stolen and BAT can reasonably
demonstrate such circumstance;
(e) the seized product has been seized on a previous occasion
by a Participating Member State;
(f) the seized product was seized outside the territory of the
Participating Member States and it has not been reasonably
demonstrated that it was destined for the EU;
(g) information provided by or on behalf of, or at the request
of, a BAT Company was a substantial and specific factor that led
to the seizure;
(h) BAT has not been provided with the notice or given an
opportunity to inspect, test or confirm that the seized product
is Counterfeit in accordance with Section 3.1, above;
(i) the total amount of BAT Cigarettes seized is less than
50,000 Cigarettes;
(j) BAT can reasonably demonstrate that the seized BAT
Cigarettes were sold, distributed and stored in accordance with
all applicable fiscal and legal requirements of the EU and a
Participating Member State or were sold at retail;or,
(k) the seized product is shown to be either: (i) authentic
BAT Cigarettes which have been repackaged into non-BAT Company
packaging without the knowledge or consent a BAT Company; or (ii)
non-BAT Cigarettes which were packed into authentic BAT Company
packaging without the knowledge or consent a BAT Company.
3.8 Within 9 months of the 15 December 2009, the Parties shall
agree to a definition or mathematical formula, based on available
seizure data, which establishes criteria for determining whether
or not seized Cigarettes are to be deemed to have been sold at
retail for purposes of Section 3.7(j). The Parties agree that
should the seizure information collected before the Execution
Date of this Agreement be significantly different from seizure
information collected after the Execution Date in regards to
whether or not a particular seizure was or was not to be deemed
as having been "sold at retail" for purposes of this
Agreement, upon written request by any Party, the 9 month period
above shall be extended for an additional 3 months. If the
Parties are unable to agree the definition or formula within 9
months of the date of initialling of this Agreement, (or 12
months, if the period is extended) the matter shall be referred
as a Dispute to be dealt with under Section 11. BAT shall not be
required to make any payments under Section 3.5 until the 9 month
period in this Section (not including any extension) shall have
passed or the criteria for determining of whether or not seized
Cigarettes are to be deemed to have been sold at retail for
purposes of this Agreement have been established, whichever is
earlier. For seizures made after the 9 month period has passed
(again, not including any extension), and until the criteria for
determining whether or not seized Cigarettes are to be deemed to
have been sold at retail for purposes of this Agreement have been
established, the payments shall accrue, and BAT shall not be
required to make any such payments until such time as the
criteria have been established to the satisfaction of the
Parties.
3.9 Any amounts of BAT Cigarettes to be treated as having been
"sold at retail" pursuant to Section 3.8 shall be
deducted from the total seizure amount for the purposes of
calculation of the payment made pursuant to Sections 3.5(a) and
(b). Any amounts remaining of an otherwise qualifying seizure
shall give rise to payments under Section 3.5(a) even if the
remaining amount of the seizure is less than 50,000 BAT
Cigarettes, but shall not count and shall be disregarded for the
purposes of calculating the threshold of seized BAT Cigarettes
upon which a payment would arise under Section 3.5(b).
3.10 If a Participating Member State or the EU accepts a
payment under Sections 3.5 (a) or (b) and later collects taxes,
duties and penalties with respect to the seized BAT Cigarettes,
or it is later found that taxes, duties and penalties had been
paid with regard to the seized BAT Cigarettes then the
Participating Member State or EU shall refund to BAT an amount
equivalent to the amount, if any, paid by BAT under Sections 3.5
(a) and (b).
3.11 (a) Following the first anniversary of the Agreement, the
Parties may periodically review the method for treating BAT
Cigarettes as "sold at retail" under Section 3.7(j). If
any Party believes that there is or would be a serious and
persisting imbalance in the Agreement arising out of the
application of the calculations under Sections 3.1 through 3.10
because of factors outside the reasonable control of BAT
Companies, such a Party may propose adjustments to these Sections
3.1 through 3.10 in order to eliminate or alleviate the serious
imbalance (the "Proposed Adjustments").
(b) The Parties shall meet and confer within 30 days of
notification of the Proposed Adjustments in a good faith attempt
to agree on the adjustments to be made to Sections 3.1 through
3.10.
(c) If the Parties cannot agree on the Proposed Adjustments to
be made after 60 days of the notice of Proposed Adjustments any
Party may apply to the arbitrator(s) in accordance with Section
11 for a final determination of whether or not the Proposed
Adjustments are appropriate in light of the totality of
circumstances.
(d) The arbitrator(s) shall order the Parties to adopt the
Proposed Adjustments or any adjustments to Sections 3.1 through
3.10 deemed by the arbitrator(s) to be appropriate.
3.12 If at any time, a Party believes that there is a serious
persisting problem concerning illicit trade in Cigarettes
entering into the Participating Member States, which could bring
about serious imbalances in the application of the Agreement, the
Parties shall meet and discuss as soon as reasonably possible any
appropriate measures to ensure the continued functioning of the
Agreement in a fair and equitable manner, and consistent with the
reasonable expectations of the Parties including, if necessary,
amendment or suspension of BAT's obligation to make payments
under Section 3.5 above.
3.13 If the Parties are unable to agree measures pursuant to
Section 3.12 above, to ensure the continuing functioning of the
Agreement in a fair and equitable manner, and in accordance with
the Parties' reasonable expectations then any Party may refer the
matter as a Dispute to be dealt with under Section 11. If the
Dispute is referred to arbitration under Section 11, the
arbitrator(s) may order any adjustment to Sections 3.5, 3.8 and
3.9 deemed by the arbitrator(s) to be appropriate.
4. BAT GROUP INTERNAL POLICIES AND
PROCEDURES
4.1 The BAT companies have already undertaken as a matter of
BAT Group policy to comply with the principles set out in the
periodically updated standards of business conduct (the
"Standards"), a copy of the current version of
which has been sent to OLAF..
4.2 A copy of the Standards shall be available in its current
form on the BAT Group website. OLAF shall be informed when any
material changes are made to the Standards.
4.3 In addition to the provisions of the Standards, within one
year of the Execution Date, the BAT Group shall adopt and adhere
to an internal BAT Group procedure incorporating the Policies and
Procedures (the "Common Platform") which shall
be made available to all BAT Company employees on the BAT
Group's internal website. Once adopted by the BAT Companies,
compliance with the Common Platform will become mandatory.
4.4 Each BAT Company shall confirm annually through compliance
with the BAT Group internal control procedures that it
communicates a clear policy, both internally and externally, in
respect of its opposition to illicit trade in BAT Cigarettes and
Cigarettes generally and that this is supported by appropriate
and effective procedures and controls.
4.5 By its execution of this Agreement, BAT shall be bound by
the provisions of this Agreement (including the Policies and
Procedures) for the term of the Agreement.
(a) In the event of a discrepancy between the Common Platform
and the related or equivalent provisions of this Agreement and
the appendices hereto, this Agreement and the appendices shall
prevail. In this respect, OLAF may notify BAT of any such
discrepancy.
(b) Upon receipt of such notice, BAT and OLAF shall consult on
the appropriate measures to be taken, including, if appropriate,
consideration of any amendments to the Common Platform. If BAT
and OLAF cannot agree on the measures to be taken within 60 days
of the notice under section 4.5(a) above, OLAF or BAT may refer
the matter to dispute resolution under Section 11.
4.6 The Parties agree and acknowledge that the fact that there
are seizures of BAT Cigarettes in any Participating Member State
does not suggest or imply that any BAT Company or Contractor has
failed to comply with or is in breach of the Standards, Common
Platform or the Policies and Procedures or the terms of this
Agreement but does give rise to the need to investigate the
supply chain in relation to those seizures.
5. TRAINING PROGRAMMES
5.1 BAT Companies shall continue to conduct training
programmes and workshops for those of their employees that are
involved in the manufacture, sale, distribution and/or storage of
BAT Cigarettes and appropriate EU and Participating Member
States' personnel to enhance co-operation and understanding
on the issues of illicit trade in order to promote and support
better controls and action to prevent illicit trade and
discourage those responsible. BAT will advise OLAF of such
programmes.
5.2 OLAF may suggest to BAT where such programmes might be
carried out and the content for such programmes.
5.3 BAT Companies shall conduct regular mandatory compliance
programmes and workshops covering the Policies and Procedures and
compliance therewith, for appropriate BAT Company employees whose
activities include the manufacture, sale, distribution and/or
storage of BAT Cigarettes, or the management thereof, including
the implementation and establishment of company policy relating
thereto. OLAF representatives may participate in these sessions
at least once a year, or otherwise as agreed with BAT.
Participating Member States' representatives may also
participate in these sessions. The programmes may form part of
the training programme and workshops under Section 5.1.
5.4 BAT shall provide OLAF and the Participating Member States
with appropriate training and information at least once a year on
how to distinguish genuine BAT Cigarettes from Counterfeits. Such
training and information shall be updated as needed. These
sessions may be combined with those under Section 5.1.
6. ANTI-ILLICIT TRADE
INITIATIVES
6.1 BAT and OLAF will discuss proposals and measures that can
be taken to combat illicit trade, in particular, Counterfeit,
smuggled and genuine illicit brands owned by third parties, and
will conduct a regular review of this at least every 12 months.
BAT may make proposals in this regard to OLAF at any time.
6.2 It is the practice of OLAF to work with the appropriate
authorities to vigorously combat the illicit trade in Cigarettes
and to coordinate action against such trade, where
appropriate.
6.3 Subject to applicable law, the Parties shall share
information on the nature and sources of illicit trade into and
within the Participating Member States.
6.4 Subject to Section 12, BAT agrees to make payment of US$
200,000,000 to such bank account as nominated by the European
Commission in Brussels. This total payment will be made via 20
yearly payments, with the first payment to be made by BAT within
5 days of the Execution Date, and each subsequent payment to be
made on the 5th of January for the 19 years subsequent
to the Execution Date, according to Appendix F, in each case,
unless that day is not a Business Day (as defined by Section
13.2) in which case payment will be made on the next subsequent
Business Day.
6.5 BAT, the EU and the Participating Member States understand
that these funds may be used, subject to applicable law, in the
pursuit of eliminating the illicit trade in Cigarettes in line
with the objectives of this Agreement and the Parties agree to
discuss the possible uses of such funds, subject to applicable
law.
7. ASSESSMENT OF ACTIVITIES AND
TECHNOLOGIES TO COMBAT ILLICIT TRADE
7.1 BAT, OLAF and the Participating Member States may meet at
any time to discuss and assess efforts being made to combat
illicit trade in the Participating Member States and the
performance of this Agreement and, in any event, shall meet at
least once a year with a view to doing so on a regular basis, to
discuss and review the efforts being made, advances in package
marking technology achieved pursuant to Appendix B, as well as
the functioning of this Agreement, and what further action could
be taken and improvements made, and whether any changes should be
made hereto.
7.2 (a) BAT and OLAF shall discuss and monitor the
availability of technology which can be used to provide secure
methods for distinguishing genuine Cigarettes from
Counterfeits.
(b) BAT Companies shall adopt policies for the use of such
technology as agreed with OLAF where it is reasonable to do so
and where such technology would materially assist in reducing the
incidence of Counterfeit BAT Cigarettes in the Participating
Member States (for example, if the inability to identify the
Cigarette as Counterfeit from its packaging was preventing
enforcement efforts). In this Agreement and in similar agreements
with other Cooperating Companies, the EU and the Participating
Member States have articulated a policy of setting standards for
the use of technology in the fight against the illicit trade in
Cigarettes as to the required results to be achieved by the
technology, but which does not compel the adoption or purchase of
a particular brand of proprietary technology.
7.3 OLAF may request a meeting with the AIT Compliance Officer
if there are concerns about the performance of any BAT Company
with respect to the controls on sales of BAT Cigarettes or
otherwise in relation to the supply of BAT Cigarettes to
particular Contractors or markets to the extent that a problem
has been identified in relation to commercially significant
volumes of BAT Cigarettes. Such a meeting shall be held within 30
days of the request being made to BAT by OLAF.
7.4 BAT and OLAF may communicate to each other concerns
relating to any Party's activities in connection with their
commitments and obligations under the Agreement.
8. COMPLIANCE
8.1 BAT shall designate and notify to OLAF an AIT Compliance
Officer as the individual responsible for monitoring compliance
with the Policies and Procedures and for arranging business
practices needed to ensure compliance with these Policies and
Procedures within BAT Companies, as well as training programmes
for officers, employees and, where necessary, agents of BAT
Companies.
8.2 It is the policy of BAT Companies to delegate substantial
authority concerning the manufacture, sale, distribution and/or
storage of BAT Cigarettes, and the management thereof, including
the establishment and implementation of company policy relating
thereto, only to those employees that the BAT Company reasonably
believes after the exercise of due diligence have the ability and
commitment to carry out the spirit and letter of the Policies and
Procedures. BAT Companies shall review on an annual basis the
performance of such employees and take effective and appropriate
steps against such an employee in the event that the employee
fails to comply with this Agreement, the Common Platform, and/or
the Standards.
8.3 The AIT Compliance Officer designated under Section 8.1
above, will provide OLAF on or before each anniversary of this
Agreement with written confirmation that BAT Companies have
complied with the Policies and Procedures required under this
Agreement or, if such be the case, information in respect of
non-compliance and what measures have been taken to address the
non-compliance.
8.4 If OLAF believes that:
(a) the information provided by BAT pursuant to Section 8.3 is
not materially correct or complete; and/or
(b) the measures undertaken by BAT to address any identified
non-compliance with this Agreement are insufficient to resolve
fully the matter, then
OLAF may give written notice of non-compliance (a
"Notice of Non-compliance") to BAT setting
out:
(1) the factual basis for such belief; and
(2) the specific measures OLAF requests that BAT or other BAT
Companies implement to:
(i) rectify any materially incorrect or incomplete information
provided to OLAF; and/or
(ii) address and resolve fully any non-compliance with this
Agreement.
OLAF may provide BAT with a Notice of Non-compliance at any
time if OLAF reasonably believes that BAT or a BAT Company is
significantly failing to adhere to the Agreement or the Policies
and Procedures and such failure could likely result in a
significant increase in the volume of contraband BAT
Cigarettes.
8.5 BAT shall send to OLAF a written response to the Notice of
Non-compliance and BAT and OLAF shall meet and confer within 30
days of a Notice of Non-compliance in an attempt to agree in good
faith:
(a) whether the factual basis of the Notice of Non-compliance
is correct; and,
(b) what, if any, measures shall be implemented by BAT or BAT
Companies to:
(1) rectify any materially incorrect or incomplete information
provided to OLAF by BAT under Section 8.3; and
(2) address and resolve fully any non-compliance with this
Agreement.
8.6 If within 60 days of receipt of the Notice of
Non-compliance, the issue has not been resolved to the
satisfaction of the parties, then any party may refer the matter
as a Dispute to be dealt with in accordance with Section 11.
8.7 In any arbitration arising out of Section 11, the
arbitrator(s) may issue orders that:
(a) BAT Companies make available for inspection by OLAF
specified categories of business records or other information
within a BAT Company's possession which OLAF reasonably believes
will assist in its anti-contraband and anti-counterfeit efforts
and which are directly relevant to the issues in dispute, with
the exception of those documents subject to legal professional
privilege or which the BAT Company is prevented from disclosing
by law; and/or,
(b) BAT make commercially reasonable efforts to resolve the
problems identified.
9. DESIGNATED PARTY
REPRESENTATIVES
9.1 The EU and Participating Member States hereby appoint the
Director of OLAF as their designated representative for all
purposes relating to this Agreement.
9.2 The AIT Compliance Officer as expressly authorised by BAT,
shall act as the designated representative and contact point for
BAT Group companies with the EU and the Participating Member
States for all purposes relating to this Agreement.
10. INFORMATION
10.1 Any information provided to the EU, OLAF or any
Participating Member State pursuant to this Agreement shall be
used only for the purposes of promoting the Parties' joint
objective of combating Cigarette smuggling, Counterfeits and any
related money laundering. The BAT Companies waive no rights in
relation to any of their commercially sensitive or business
secret information and OLAF, the EU and the Participating Member
States undertake not to release any such information to third
parties and specifically not to any competitor without the prior
written consent of BAT (which consent shall not be unreasonably
withheld), unless the Party is compelled to disclose such
information by judicial or administrative process or by other
requirements of law (in which case such Party shall notify BAT as
soon as is practicable).
10.2 In the event that the EU, Participating Member States or
OLAF need to make public information obtained from the tracking
and tracing databases as part of a criminal proceeding, or are
otherwise legally required to disclose such information, the EU,
Participating Member States or OLAF will notify BAT prior to such
disclosure to the extent permitted by law and make a good faith
attempt to provide the relevant BAT Company with an opportunity
to seek a protective order or other appropriate remedy.
10.3 Nothing in this Agreement shall require BAT Companies to
disclose information which they are otherwise prohibited from
disclosing by law or contract existing on the Execution Date, or
which is legally privileged.
11. DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND
ARBITRATION
11.1 The EU and BAT shall meet and confer and endeavour to
resolve amicably and in good faith any dispute as to how a matter
has been or should be dealt with arising out of or in connection
with the performance of this Agreement and the obligations,
commitments and expectations hereunder (a
"Dispute").
11.2 If a Dispute arises, and so that the parties are able to
meet and confer in compliance with Section 11.1, the Dispute
shall be notified to the other parties in writing in sufficient
detail for the nature of the Dispute to be understood. In the
first instance, the Dispute shall be referred to the AIT
Compliance Office (on the part of BAT) and the Head of Legal
Affairs of OLAF, (on the part of the EU and on behalf of any
Participating Member State(s) party to the Dispute) and they
shall discuss and attempt to resolve the Dispute in good
faith.
11.3 If such good faith discussions fail to resolve the
Dispute within 30 days of the written notification provided
pursuant to Section 11.2, the Dispute shall be escalated to the
Global Head of Anti-illicit Trade (on the part of BAT) and the
Director General of OLAF (on the part of the EU and on behalf of
any Participating Member State(s) party to the Dispute), who
shall discuss and attempt to resolve the Dispute in good
faith.
11.4 The Parties undertake that if any Dispute remains
unresolved 60 days after the date of the written notification
provided pursuant to Section 11.2, any party may by written
notification to the other seek to have the Dispute resolved
amicably by use of mediation. The parties shall appoint by
agreement a neutral third person to act as a mediator (the
"Mediator") within 7 days of the written
notification of mediation (in default of such agreement, either
party may request the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution
("CEDR") to appoint the Mediator. The parties
shall, with the assistance of the Mediator, seek to agree the
mediation procedure in writing (in default of such agreement, the
Mediator shall act in accordance with the procedures of CEDR). If
the Dispute has not been resolved to the satisfaction of either
party within 30 days of written notification of mediation or if
either party fails or refuses to participate in or withdraws from
participating in the mediation then either party may refer the
Dispute to arbitration pursuant to Section 11.6. Each Party shall
bear its own costs in relation to mediation under this Section,
and the non-Party specific mediation costs shall be borne equally
between the EU and BAT.
11.5 Nothing communicated in any discussions, negotiations or
offers of settlement made, during or arising from, the Dispute
escalation process and/or mediation process pursuant to
sub-Sections 11.2, 11.3 or 11.4 above shall be admissible in any
way in any litigation or arbitration among the Parties.
11.6 Any Dispute which remains unresolved 90 days after the
date of the written notice provided pursuant to Section 11.2
shall be referred by any party to arbitration by providing notice
in writing to the other parties to be finally resolved by the
arbitrator who is at the top of the List of Arbitrators set out
in Appendix D (the "arbitrator") as sole
arbitrator, under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules as at present in
force, which rules (as amended by this Section 11) are deemed to
be incorporated by reference into this section.
11.7 If the arbitrator is unable to hear the parties'
Dispute within 60 days of reference, upon demand by any party to
the Dispute, the next-highest-listed-arbitrator on the List of
Arbitrators shall be deemed to be the sole arbitrator for the
purposes of that Dispute.
11.8 If the arbitrator selected pursuant to Section 11.7 is
unable to hear the parties' Dispute, the next-highest-listed
arbitrator on the List of Arbitrators shall be deemed to be the
arbitrator for the purposes of the Agreement.
11.9 If none of the arbitrators on the List of Arbitrators is
available to hear a Dispute within 60 days of reference, an
arbitrator shall be appointed by agreement of the parties, or if
the parties are unable to agree within 15 further days, an
arbitrator may be appointed by any of the arbitrators on the List
of Arbitrators, in the same order as above in Sections 11.6 and
11.7 (i.e. starting with the arbitrator at the top of the List of
Arbitrators).
11.10 Notwithstanding the foregoing, any party shall, upon
request within 15 days of the notice of arbitration provided
pursuant to Section 11.6, have the right to have the Dispute
settled by a three-person arbitration panel with the highest
available listed arbitrator from the List of Arbitrators acting
as chairperson and one additional arbitrator to be selected by
BAT and one additional arbitrator to be selected by the EU and/or
the Participating Member State(s) party or parties to the
Dispute.
11.11 If one party has appointed an arbitrator under Section
11.10 but the other party has not done so, the party who has
failed to make its appointment foregoes its right to do so and an
arbitrator will be appointed on its behalf by the arbitrator
appointed by the party in compliance with Section 11.10.
11.12 Where none of the arbitrators on the List of the
Arbitrators are available, the arbitrators selected by the
parties shall agree on the nomination of the chairperson (in
default of which, the UNICTRAL rules shall apply).
11.13 The designated representatives of the Parties shall add
to, remove from, or reorder the List of Arbitrators at any time
by mutual agreement in writing.
11.14 Where there are multiple parties to the arbitration,
whether as claimant or respondent, the multiple claimants,
jointly and the multiple respondents, jointly, shall appoint an
arbitrator pursuant to Sections 11.5-11.12.
11.15 The seat of the arbitration shall be Geneva,
Switzerland. The arbitration tribunal may ask for the parties to
meet and to hold hearing in a place other than Geneva. If this
occurs, the Parties agree that this will not alter or have an
effect on Geneva being the seat of the arbitration.
11.16 The language to be used in the arbitral proceedings
shall be English, unless otherwise agreed by the parties to the
Dispute. Documents which are not translated into English will not
be translated into English unless the parties so agree or the
arbitration tribunal so orders.
11.17 The governing law of this Agreement shall be English
law.
11.18 The arbitrator(s) shall have power to issue final or
provisional orders or take other interim or conservatory measures
it deems appropriate.
11.19 No amicus curiae or "friend of the court"
briefs may be filed in the arbitration.
11.20 Subject to any disclosure obligations of the parties
under any applicable law, or the rules of any securities exchange
on which British American Tobacco p.l.c.'s securities are
listed, the arbitration proceedings and the award shall be
confidential, and the parties shall not disclose the nature or
scope of the proceedings or any information obtained in or
arising out of the proceedings. Documents from the arbitration
including the award itself may be published if a party is
required to do so by legal duty, to protect or pursue a legal
right or to enforce or challenge an award in bona fide legal
proceedings before a state court or other judicial authority.
11.21 Without prejudice to the UNCITRAL rules, the
arbitrator(s) shall establish the procedure to be followed in the
arbitration.
11.22 By agreeing to refer matters to arbitration as set out
above, to the extent permitted by law, the parties irrevocably
waive their right to any form of appeal, review or recourse to
any court of a Participating Member State or any other country or
judicial authority, save that the final decision by the
arbitrator(s) shall be exclusively appealable to the Federal
Supreme Court of Switzerland.
12. TERMINATION
12.1 This Agreement shall terminate on the 20th anniversary of
the Execution Date. If BAT wishes to terminate the monetary
payment provisions of this Agreement or suspend or postpone any
future expenditure for the implementation of the product
identification requirements set out in Appendix B before the
termination date, BAT shall notify the European Commission of its
intention to do so in writing (a "Termination
Notice"). Within 30 days of receipt of such Termination
Notice, the EU and the Participating Member States that wish to
do so, shall meet and confer in good faith and attempt to resolve
the matter. If the matter has not been resolved by agreement of
those Parties within 60 days of such notice of intention to
terminate, such request for termination may be referred as a
Dispute to be resolved under Section 11.
12.2 In the event of arbitration proceedings being commenced,
the arbitrators shall have the power only to terminate or reduce
the obligations of BAT under this Agreement to make monetary
payments to the EU or any Participating Member State (under
Sections 3.5 and 6.4) or to suspend or postpone any future
expenditure for the implementation of the product identification
requirements set out in Appendix B.
12.3 The arbitrators may terminate or reduce the monetary
obligations of BAT under this Agreement or suspend or postpone
any future expenditure for the implementation of the product
identification requirements set out in Appendix B only if they
determine that the EU or a Participating Member State is in
material breach of this Agreement or there are sustained and
material failures of the reasonable expectations of BAT as to the
benefits of this Agreement to BAT and/or other BAT Companies,
save that termination will not be available if the non-fulfilment
of reasonable expectations has been substantially remedied
through subsequent action of the Parties or could be addressed
adequately through an order of the arbitrator(s) and that order
is complied with.
12.4 The reasonable expectations of BAT and/or BAT Companies
are to be assessed by reference to the terms of this Agreement
and all other related documents and correspondence between the
Parties and/or their legal counsel provided and/or executed on or
immediately prior to the Execution Date.
12.5 The other obligations undertaken by BAT Companies via
this Agreement shall remain in force for the duration of the
Agreement, even in the event that one or more monetary
obligations under Sections 3.5 and 6.4 are terminated or reduced
or any future expenditure for the implementation of the
production identification requirements set out in Appendix B are
suspended or postponed.
12.6 Starting no later than two years before the termination
date, the Parties shall meet and confer in an attempt to extend
the duration of this Agreement.
12.7 If the arbitrator(s) determine that there is a basis for
the termination or reduction of the payments to be made under
Sections 3.5 and/or 6.4 or any future expenditure for the
implementation of the product identification requirements set out
in Appendix B are suspended or postponed, this Agreement shall be
deemed to have been varied in accordance with this Section, save
that where the precipitating cause of the termination or the
reduction of the payments to be made under Sections 3.5 and/or
6.4 is clearly confined in its application to a particular
Participating Member State or States, in which case the
arbitrator(s) shall determine termination or reduction with
regard to any such particular Participating Member State. In such
circumstances:
(a) all amounts payable by BAT under this Agreement will be
reduced by the amounts that would have otherwise been due to any
and all Participating Member States in respect of which the
payment provisions have been terminated; and
(b) after partial termination of the payment provisions of the
Agreement with respect to any particular Participating Member
State(s), such Participating Member State(s) shall not be
entitled to receive from BAT any of the non-pecuniary benefits of
this Agreement.
12.8 With regard to termination of the BAT payment obligations
under the Agreement, if a Termination Notice is filed by BAT:
(a) the relevant funds due thereafter from BAT shall be held
in escrow, on the terms set out in Appendix E, until the issue of
termination is resolved and/or the arbitrator(s) order(s) the
release of said funds to the appropriate Party or Parties;
(b) all other obligations of the Parties in this Agreement
will remain in effect;
(c) unless the Parties agree to the termination within one
month of the delivery of a Termination Notice, the claim for
termination made in the Termination Notice shall be deemed to be
a matter to be resolved as a Dispute in accordance with Section
11;
(d) should the Dispute proceed to arbitration and the
arbitrator(s) determine that BAT did have a right to terminate
the payments under Sections 3.5 and 6.4, such termination will
have effect from the date ordered by the arbitrator(s), and (i)
no financial sums shall be due from BAT which fell due after the
date the Termination Notice was delivered to the Parties; and
(ii) any payments held in escrow as per Section 12.8 (a) above
shall be released to BAT;
(e) Should the Dispute proceed to arbitration and the
arbitrators determine that BAT did not have the right to
terminate the provisions relating to payments under Sections 3.5
and 6.4, the Agreement shall continue in full force and effect
and any payments held in escrow shall immediately be released and
paid to the EU; and
(f) Should the Dispute proceed to arbitration and the
arbitrator(s) determine that BAT has a right to terminate the
provisions relating to payments made under Sections 3.5 and 6.4
and such termination was only with regard to a particular
Participating Member State or States, the Agreement shall
continue in full force and effect as to the remaining Parties and
any payments held in escrow as per Section 12.8(a) above shall be
immediately released and paid to the EU after appropriate
reduction, if any, in accordance with the terms of Section 12.7
(a) above. Any remaining escrowed amounts shall be released and
paid to BAT.
13. NOTICES
13.1 Any notice or other communication given under this
Agreement shall be in writing and shall be served by delivery to,
in the case of the EU, the Director of OLAF, and in the case of
BAT, the AIT Compliance Officer designated under Section 8.1. Any
notice to any Participating Member State will be validly served
for the purpose of this Agreement if it is served on the Director
of OLAF in accordance with the terms of this Section. Any notice
or communication given under this Agreement relating to any
Dispute arising hereunder shall also be provided to the
Director-General of the Legal Service of the European
Commission.
13.2 Any such notice or communication shall be served by
sending it to the representative set out below by delivery by
hand, prepaid recorded delivery/special delivery or by fax, in
each case marked for the attention of the relevant representative
specified below (as otherwise notified from time to time). Any
notice so served by hand, fax or post shall be deemed to have
been duly given:
(a) in the case of delivery by hand, when delivered;
(b) in the case of fax, at the time of transmission, which
shall be confirmed as evidence of the same; or
(c) in the case of prepaid recorded delivery/special delivery
at 10am on the second Business Day following the date of
posting,
providing that in each case where delivery by hand or by fax
occurs after 6pm on a Business Day or on a day which is not a
Business Day, service shall be deemed to occur at 9am on the next
following Business Day. References to time in this Section are to
local time in the country of the addressee. References to
"Business Day" in this Agreement shall mean a day other
than Saturday or Sunday when the banks are open for business in
Brussels (other references to "days" shall refer to
calendar days).
13.3 The relevant contact details are:
(a) On the part of the EU/Participating Member States: The
Director of OLAF, or his or her designee, at 30 Rue Joseph II,
1000 Brussels, Belgium (fax number: +32-2-296.08.53), with a copy
of any notice of a Dispute provided under this Agreement to be
sent simultaneously to the Director-General of the Legal Service
of the European Commission, at Rue de la Loi 200, Berlaymont
1/21, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium;
(b) On the part of BAT: Ross Marié, at Globe House, 4 Temple
Place, London WC2R 2PG, United Kingdom (fax number: +44 (0)
2078452176).
14. WAIVER AND AMENDMENT
14.1 No provision of this Agreement or the appendices hereto
may be waived unless such waiver is in writing and signed by the
Party against whom the waiver is to be effective.
14.2 No amendment of this Agreement or the Appendices hereto
shall be valid unless it is in writing and signed by or on behalf
of the designated representatives of the Parties.
15. SUCCESSION AND ASSIGNMENT
15.1 The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon
and inure for the benefit of the Parties hereto and their
respective successors and assigns.
16. RIGHTS OF THIRD PARTIES
16.1 No term of this Agreement shall confer any rights upon or
be enforceable by a third party.
17. ENTIRE AGREEMENT
17.1 This Agreement, including the appendices hereto,
constitutes the entire agreement and understanding of the Parties
and supersedes any previous agreement between the Parties
relating to the subject matter of this Agreement. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, each of the Parties may rely upon express
representations made in any letter from another Party or their
legal counsel provided on or immediately prior to the Execution
Date.
18. SEVERABILITY
18.1 If any provision of this Agreement shall be found by any
court, arbitral tribunal or administrative body of competent
jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction,
such finding shall not affect the legality, validity and
enforceability of such provision or any other provision in this
Agreement in any other jurisdiction, or of any other provision of
this Agreement in the jurisdiction where the finding was
made.
19. COUNTERPARTS
19.1 This Agreement may be executed in any number of
counterparts, each of which, when executed, shall be an original,
and all the counterparts together shall constitute one and the
same instrument.
20. CAPTIONS
20.1 The captions herein are included for convenience only and
shall be ignored in the construction or interpretation of this
Agreement.
21. EXPENSES
21.1 Unless otherwise agreed upon by all of the Parties, any
expenses incurred by any Party in relation to this Agreement
shall be borne by the Party incurring such expense.
22. LEGALITY
22.1 The Parties agree that to the extent that the performance
of any obligation of any Party under this Agreement would violate
(i) any EU law or (ii) the national law of any Participating
Member State or (iii) in the case of the BAT Companies breach a
contractual obligation existing at the date of this Agreement,
such Party shall be excused from performing such obligation only
to the extent that performance would violate such law or
contractual obligation existing on the Execution Date, and shall
not incur any liability as a result of such non-performance.
22.2 Subject to Section 22.1 and to the application of English
law in accordance with Section 11.17, the Parties acknowledge
that in performing the obligations set out in this Agreement
(including, for the avoidance of doubt, the Appendices) each
Party shall comply with EU law and the national laws (including,
without limitation, laws concerning data protection and secrecy)
of the Participating Member State or States to which such
performance relates.
23. ADDITIONAL MEMBER STATES
23.1 Any Member State may become a Participating Member State
under this Agreement by executing a copy of this Agreement in the
appropriate form and delivering a counterpart copy thereof to the
EU and BAT.
24. THIRD-PARTY MANUFACTURERS OF BAT
CIGARETTES
24.1 BAT Companies shall require any Contractor currently or
subsequently engaged in the manufacture of BAT Cigarettes to
comply with the relevant requirements of this Agreement within 18
months of the Execution Date (save where existing contractual
commitments with such Contractors do not so permit, then such
requirements shall be incorporated on any renewal of such
contracts). Any Contractor that commences the manufacture of BAT
Cigarettes after the 18-month period above shall be required to
comply with the relevant requirements of this Agreement as of the
date of commencement of manufacture of BAT Cigarettes.
24.2 Should BAT Companies reasonably require additional time
for the implementation of the requirements of this Agreement
pursuant to Section 24.1, BAT Companies may make a reasoned
request to OLAF for an extension. The EU and Participating Member
States agree that consent to a reasoned request for a reasonable
extension under this sub-Section shall not be unreasonably
withheld.
25. EQUAL TREATMENT PROVISION
25.1 If any time during the operation of this Agreement, the
EU enters into an agreement or amends an existing agreement with
another Cooperating Company relating to the same subject matter
as this Agreement on terms (after due consideration of relevant
differences in volume of Cigarettes or other appropriate factors)
more favourable to such Cooperating Company than the terms of
this Agreement, then BAT may request of the EU and the
Participating Member States that it receive treatment under this
Agreement at least as relatively favourable as the overall terms
provided to the other Cooperating Company. The EU and the
Participating Member States will act in good faith to consider
any such request and may grant such a request if it is consistent
with the intent of this Agreement.
26. ACQUISITIONS
26.1 In the event that a BAT Company acquires new
manufacturing facilities after the date of signing this Agreement
that would have been subject to this Agreement if they had been
owned by a BAT Company on the date of signing of this Agreement
and which would, subject to this Section, be subject to the terms
of this Agreement, the Parties agree that BAT shall make
commercially reasonable efforts to implement within 12 months of
such acquisition, the requirements of this Agreement in those new
manufacturing facilities and after the expiry of that 12 month
period, those new facilities shall become subject to the terms of
this Agreement. Should a BAT Company reasonably require
additional time for the implementation of the requirements of
this Agreement in any such new manufacturing facilities, that BAT
Company or BAT on its behalf may make a reasoned request to OLAF
for such a reasonable extension. The EU and the Participating
Member States agree that consent to such a request shall not be
unreasonably withheld.
26.2 In the event that a company or group of companies engaged
in the manufacture, sale, distribution and/or storage of
Cigarettes carrying non-BAT Group trademarks within, through or
into the countries covered by this Agreement is acquired by or
merged into the BAT Group subsequent to the Execution Date or any
BAT Company otherwise obtains directly or indirectly ownership of
such a company or group of companies with the ability to exercise
direct management control over it, BAT and the EU shall, as soon
as reasonably practicable, meet to discuss the extent to and the
time frame within which, the provisions of this Agreement might
reasonably be applied, by agreement with the acquired company or
group of companies.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF this Agreement has been executed on behalf
of the Parties hereto with effect from the Execution Date.
on behalf of the Republic of
Latvia
Einars Repše
Minister of Finance of the
Republic of Latvia
|
on behalf of "British
American Tobacco (Holdings) Limited"
Patrick Michael Heneghan
Global Head of Anti Illicit
Trade British-American Tobacco (Holdings) Limited
|
on behalf of the European
Commission
Luis Romero Requeña
Director General of the Legal
Service of the European Commission
|
on behalf of the European
Commission
Franz-Hermann Brüner
Director General of the
European Anti-Fraud Office of the European Commission
|
APPENDIX A
Commitment of BAT Companies
1. BAT agrees that:
1. (a) BAT Companies are committed to employ the Policies and
Procedures to ensure compliance with all applicable laws,
including those of the EU and the Participating Member States,
relating to the proper payment of duties and taxes, handling of
payments, currency reporting requirements, and trade
restrictions, with the objective that BAT Cigarettes be
manufactured, sold, distributed and/or stored in accordance with
all applicable tax and duty laws in the Intended Market of Retail
Sale.
(b) Any conduct by any BAT Company or employee in violation of
the Policies and Procedures or any applicable law shall not be
condoned and, if appropriate, disciplinary action will be taken,
including, if necessary, termination of employment.
(c) If any BAT Company becomes aware of a violation of the
Policies and Procedures, such BAT Company shall take all
reasonable steps to prevent and/or penalise any further similar
conduct.
(d) BAT Companies shall use the Policies and Procedures with
all of their Contractors for BAT Cigarettes in accordance with
this Agreement, regardless of the fact that in some areas there
may be some competitors who seemingly engage in illegal activity
without penalty.
(e) BAT Companies shall within one year of the Execution Date
of the signing of this Agreement for new Contractors, or in the
case of existing Contractors, if and when their current contracts
are renewed, ensure that their terms of trade with Contractors
reflect the Policies and Procedures. The Parties acknowledge that
the implementation of the Policies and Procedures for Contractors
who are manufacturers of BAT Cigarettes is dealt with in Section
24.1 of the Agreement.
Due Diligence
2. BAT Companies currently apply due diligence worldwide in
respect of their current and prospective Contractors, and will
continue to do so for the duration of this Agreement.
Furthermore, BAT Companies shall conduct due diligence in respect
of current and prospective Contractors in respect of BAT
Cigarettes to be manufactured, sold, distributed and/or stored by
them. Information gathered during this process shall be kept up
to date as needed. These due diligence requirements shall apply
to Contractors who manufacture, sell, distribute, and/or store
BAT Cigarettes in volumes in excess of 25,000,000 Cigarettes per
year within, through or into the countries covered by this
Agreement.
3. (a) As part of this due diligence BAT Companies shall
satisfy themselves that their Contractors are suitable in terms
of financial soundness, reputation, and their ability and
willingness to comply with the Policies and Procedures and to
exercise appropriate controls over the manufacture, sale,
distribution and/or storage of BAT Cigarettes.
(b) As applicable, Contractors shall be required to ensure
that any BAT Cigarettes manufactured, sold, distributed, and/or
stored by them are delivered by them or shipped by them or under
their supervision or instruction to the Intended Market of Retail
Sale and to comply with all applicable laws.
4. As part of this due diligence process, BAT Companies shall
meet the Contractor, visit the Contractor's principal place of
business, and make commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the
following:
(a) for individuals, information identifying the Contractor,
including tax and other relevant registration numbers,
biographical information and a copy of government-issued
identification for the individual;
(b) for corporations, information identifying the legal
entity, including tax and other relevant registration numbers,
corporate biographical information, copies of articles of
incorporation or the equivalent, a complete listing of related
companies under common control with, or controlled by the
Contractor with which the Contractor will be conducting business
relevant to this Agreement; the names and identification of the
officers and directors of the Contractor, including biographical
information and copies of each such person's
government-issued identification;
(c) information regarding the number of persons employed by
the Contractor at the date of the request for information;
and
(d) information and documentation regarding any criminal
offences, or any charges filed by governmental agencies against
the Contractor or any of its managers, directors, and/or legal
representatives (if any).
5. (a) BAT Companies shall require any First Purchaser of BAT
Cigarettes from that BAT Company to have a sales plan that
specifies the markets for distribution of any BAT Cigarettes
purchased and shall require the sales plan to be updated as
needed.
(b) The sales plan shall include an affirmation by the First
Purchaser that the products will be manufactured, sold,
distributed, and/or stored in accordance with all applicable laws
and, where practical, the identification of the intended or
prospective customers of the First Purchaser for the BAT
Cigarettes. The sales plan shall also include a designation of
the account(s) from which payments will be made to the BAT
Company for the BAT Cigarettes.
6. BAT Companies will not do business with a Contractor that
fails to satisfy fully these due diligence requirements or that
subsequently fails a due diligence review save in circumstances
where the Contractor has been able to remedy any discrepancy
within a reasonable period of time that the Parties agree should
not normally exceed 6 months.
7. BAT Companies shall undertake follow-up due diligence at
least every three years and/or upon receiving information that
there has been a material change in the ownership or a change in
the control of the Contractor and/or on the renewal of existing
contracts with a Contractor. Such follow-up due diligence shall
include, but not be limited to:
(a) a visit to the Contractor's principal place(s) of
business and operation(s), including visits to any places of
manufacture of BAT Cigarettes, by a representative of the
relevant BAT Company in order to assess the Contractor's ability
and commitment to maintain its status through compliance with the
components of the Policies and Procedures applicable to it;
(b) maintaining periodic written correspondence with the
Contractor to ensure that the information and documentation
collected during the due diligence process is up to date and that
any changes have been duly reported to and updated by the
relevant BAT Company;
(c) making commercially reasonable efforts to carry out
ongoing monitoring of the Contractor's purchases and sales of BAT
Cigarettes to ensure that the quantities of such purchases and
sales are commensurate with the legitimate demand in that
country, which shall comprise local consumption and legitimate
cross-border trade.
(d) making commercially reasonable efforts to review the
know-your-customer programme of each Contractor to:
(1) reiterate the requirements of the Policies and
Procedures;
(2) communicate the commitment of BAT to cooperate with OLAF
and the Participating Member States on these matters;
(3) create an occasion and an opportunity to answer any
questions regarding the Policies and Procedures, and the
requirements thereunder; and,
(4) provide the Contractor with information on any updates or
changes to the Common Platform or the Policies and Procedures
relevant to the Contractor.
8. Once a prospective Contractor has completed the due
diligence process satisfactorily, BAT Companies shall create a
report outlining the details of the due diligence process, and
may approve the Contractor for business. BAT Companies shall
maintain lists of all approved Contractors, to be updated as
changes occur, and upon request BAT, subject to applicable law,
shall provide or ensure the provision of this information to OLAF
and, in the case of Contractor who manufactures, sells
distributes and/or stores BAT Cigarettes in a Participating
Member State or for which a Participating Member State is the
Intended Market of Retail Sale, also to that Participating Member
State.
9. BAT Companies shall require their Contractors to keep all
necessary and relevant records in relation to BAT Cigarettes
manufactured, sold, distributed, and/or stored by them and to
make these available to BAT Companies and provide copies of the
records in response to a reasoned and specific written request
from OLAF or a Participating Member State in which they operate
in, into or through.
10. BAT Companies shall also keep records of all material
documents, records and correspondence relating to its Contractors
and its business with them, including estimates of annual retail
demand for any market, all material documents obtained during the
due diligence process and any follow ups, payment records and
responses to governmental inquiries, and in general all material
documents and records created or maintained in accordance with
this Agreement for 5 years after their creation. If OLAF or a
Participating Member State suspects that a Contractor is involved
in criminal activity or is otherwise involved in illicit trade in
BAT Cigarettes or other tobacco products, BAT, subject to
applicable law, shall make commercially reasonable efforts to
provide or ensure the provision of copies to OLAF or any
Participating Member State within 45 days of a request.
Controls on Sales
11. BAT Companies shall ensure that BAT Cigarettes are sold by
BAT Companies or their First Purchasers in quantities that are
commensurate with legitimate demand in that country, which shall
comprise local consumption and legitimate cross-border trade.
12. Subject to applicable law, BAT shall supply relevant
information to OLAF on reasonable request about Contractors of
BAT Companies and the Intended Market of Retail Sale for the BAT
Cigarettes manufactured, sold, distributed and/or stored by those
Contractors.
13. Subject to paragraph 14, BAT Companies shall take all
reasonable steps available to them to reduce, amend or limit the
volumes and/or brand mix of or cease the supply of BAT Cigarettes
to a Contractor or the manufacture, sale, distribution or storage
of BAT Cigarettes by any Contractor which in BAT's opinion is
not exercising sufficient control over its manufacture, sale,
distribution and/or storage of BAT Cigarettes or is purchasing
brands and/or volumes of BAT Cigarettes inconsistent with those
which the BAT Company deems reasonable for the Contractor and
market(s) in question and is thereby unreasonably failing to
minimise the risk of the BAT Cigarettes being subsequently
diverted into and resold to illicit trade channels. and which
cannot remedy BAT's concerns within a reasonable time frame
which shall not exceed 6 months.
Cessation of Supply
14. BAT Companies shall cease supply to or use of any
Contractor for which a BAT Company has Documentary or other
Substantive Evidence to show is knowingly or recklessly engaged
in the unlawful manufacture, sale, distribution and/or storage of
contraband Cigarettes manufactured or sold by a BAT Company or
affiliate and/or related money laundering.
15. (a) OLAF or a Participating Member State may request that
a BAT Company terminate its business relationships with a
Contractor provided that such request is made in writing and sets
out in reasonable detail why such termination is requested and
provides credible evidence to support the view that the
Contractor has knowingly or recklessly engaged in the unlawful
manufacture, sale, distribution and/or storage of contraband
Cigarettes manufactured or sold by a BAT Company and/or related
money laundering.
(b) If BAT agrees with the request, BAT shall notify OLAF of
the decision within 60 days of the request and the BAT Company
shall terminate its business relationship with the Contractor
within these same 60 days, to the extent permitted by law and in
accordance with its contractual or common law rights.
(c) If BAT does not agree with the request, OLAF may refer the
matter as a Dispute to be resolved under Section 11 of the
Agreement. If the matter is referred to arbitration, OLAF may
request an order that the BAT Company terminate its business
relationship with the Contractor.
(d) The arbitrator shall issue the termination order only if
there is credible evidence that the Contractor knowingly or
recklessly engaged in the unlawful manufacture, sale,
distribution and/or storage of BAT Cigarettes and/or related
money laundering, or has failed to make commercially reasonable
efforts to control its manufacture, sale, distribution and/or
storage of BAT Cigarettes in order to minimise the risk of them
being subsequently directed into and sold to illicit trade
channels.
16. (a) In the event that OLAF provides BAT Companies with, or
the BAT Companies otherwise come into possession of Documentary
or Other Substantive Evidence that a Contractor's own
customer is knowingly or recklessly engaged in the unlawful
manufacture, sale, distribution and/or storage of Cigarettes to
or for illicit trade channels, the BAT Companies shall make
commercially reasonable efforts, including the termination of the
business relationship, if appropriate, to require the Contractor
to cease supplying the BAT Cigarettes to the Contractor's
customer.
(b) BAT Companies shall require their Contractors to terminate
their commercial relationship with subsequent customers within 90
days of receipt of a written, reasoned request based on credible
evidence to do so from OLAF or a Participating Member State, to
the extent permitted by law (for the avoidance of doubt, such
request shall be shared with the Contractor), and to maintain a
list of all subsequent customers terminated according to this
subsection. BAT Companies shall terminate business relationships
with any of their Contractors that fail to cooperate in this
regard.
17. BAT Companies shall inform OLAF as soon as possible upon
becoming aware of any Contractor or Contractor's customer to whom
the supply of the BAT Cigarettes is terminated because of the
manufacture, sale, distribution and/or storage of Cigarettes in
or for illicit trade channels.
18 Each BAT Company shall maintain a list of any Contractor
with whom it has terminated its business relationship pursuant to
paragraphs 13, 14, 15 and 16 above.
19. BAT Companies shall not conduct business with any person
or entity or affiliate thereof which has previously ceased to be
or has been de-listed as a Contractor by any BAT Company pursuant
to paragraphs 14, 15 or 16 for at least 5 years.
20. In cases where a BAT Company, OLAF or a Participating
Member State has reason to suspect that products sold to a
Contractor, without fault by the Contractor, have subsequently
been diverted for sale into a Participating Member State which
was not the Intended Market of Retail Sale, or that a market is
being over-supplied with the result that product is being
re-purchased from distribution outlets after the initial sale by
the Contractor for distribution to the market and collected on a
commercial scale in order to move the product into a
Participating Member State with the intention of evading the
taxes and duties that would properly be payable on the release
for consumption of those products in that Participating Member
State, BAT and OLAF and, if appropriate, the Participating Member
State or States concerned, shall notify OLAF and/or BAT as the
case may be, and consult on the action to be taken. If agreement
on the action to be taken cannot be reached within 60 days of the
notice above to BAT or OLAF, as the case may be, then any Party
may refer the matter as a Dispute to be dealt with under Section
11 of the Agreement.
Suspected wrongdoing and
whistle-blowing
21. (a) BAT Companies shall make commercially reasonable
efforts to ensure that their employees report to their employer
non-compliance with the Policies and Procedures, the Common
Platform, the Standards or the breach of any legal obligation
relating to the illicit trade in Cigarettes.
(b) Any BAT Company permanent or temporary employee, who
suspects or becomes aware of:
(1) any breach of the Common Platform;
(2) the manufacture, sale, distribution and/or storage of
illicit BAT Cigarettes, and any related illegal activity;
(3) transactions that do not correspond to ordinary business
transactions;
(4) violations of the Policies and Procedures;
(5) violation of any relevant legal obligation relating to the
illicit trade in Cigarettes; or
(6) any suspicious cash or cash equivalent transaction made or
attempted in an amount equal to or greater than US$ 10,000,
shall be permitted to raise their concerns through an internal
whistle-blowing procedure whereby the concerns raised will be
investigated and, to the extent permitted by law, the identity of
the person raising the concern will be kept confidential if so
requested by the employee. The whistle-blowing procedure where
permitted by applicable law, shall also provide means for
concerns to be raised anonymously.
(c) Any BAT Company employee raising a concern in the genuine
belief that wrongdoing has occurred, is occurring or may be about
to occur will not be penalised or suffer any form of
victimisation even if, after full investigation, it is shown that
the person was mistaken. Any form of reprisal against anyone who
in good faith has raised a concern is forbidden and will itself
be regarded as a serious matter.
(d) Each BAT Company may operate its own whistle-blowing
procedure but the BAT Group's whistle-blowing procedure shall
be operated on behalf of the Audit Committee of the board of
British American Tobacco plc, independent of management.
(e) BAT Companies shall investigate any whistle-blowing report
that is not spurious and shall provide OLAF with a report if, on
investigation, there are reasonable grounds for believing that
there has been a violation of the Common Platform, or any legal
obligation in each case relating to the illicit trade in
Cigarettes.
Co-operation with Law
Enforcement
22 (a) BAT Companies shall co-operate with OLAF and the
Participating Member States in any investigation or enforcement
action regarding BAT Cigarettes and shall require their
Contractors to co-operate, including, where appropriate, by the
supply of relevant information. Information for this purpose may
include payment details, sales data, customer details, and
details of shipments and of stock in warehouses which is in
transit and on which duty is suspended under customs rules and
procedures, and any document or other record required to be kept
under this Agreement.
22 (b) BAT Companies shall encourage their employees and, to
the extent possible, their former employees to co-operate with
OLAF and the Participating Member States in any investigation or
enforcement action regarding BAT Cigarettes.
Payment Procedures and Terms of
Trade
23. BAT Companies shall ensure that their terms of trade with
their Contractors provide for the lawful manufacture, sale,
distribution, and storage of BAT Cigarettes. The Policies and
Procedures in relation to payments from their Contractors for BAT
Cigarettes are intended to ensure that all transactions are
accurately and completely recorded; that BAT Companies do not
engage in any transaction which they know or suspect involves the
proceeds of criminal activity; that they do not act in
contravention of any lawful trade embargo, sanction or other
export control or trade restriction applicable to them; that they
pursue practices directed towards ensuring that their activities
do not inadvertently contravene any relevant money laundering or
proceeds of crime legislation; that they adopt and maintain
procedures designed to detect and prevent any dishonest
involvement in money laundering and support employees in
identifying the circumstances which ought to give rise to a
suspicion of money laundering or other related illegal activity;
that they do not knowingly assist in the financing of, or
otherwise provide support for, terrorist activity and that they
pursue practices to ensure that their activities do not otherwise
inadvertently contravene any relevant anti-terrorism
measures.
24. BAT Companies shall not enter into any transaction whereby
the parties to whom (a) title is to pass, (b) the invoice is to
be submitted and/or (c) the goods are to be shipped are different
unless they are satisfied that:
(1) any such parties are associated or affiliated entities (in
which case satisfactory evidence of the relationship will be
obtained); and
(2) each party has been and continues to be subject to the
Contractor approval and due diligence procedure.
25. BAT Companies shall, within one year of the Execution Date
for new Contractors or in the case of existing Contractors if and
when their current contracts are renewed, ensure that their terms
of trade with Contractors, including invoicing arrangements,
arrangements for shipment and storage, and manner of payment, are
consistent with the Policies and Procedures, and provide, where
relevant, for the shipment of the BAT Cigarettes to the Intended
Market of Retail Sale. BAT Companies shall require that their
Contractors do not take any action, directly or indirectly, to
interfere with the shipping of the BAT Cigarettes to the Intended
Market of Retail Sale. BAT Companies shall, when appropriate,
make commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that appropriate
provisions substantially equivalent to the Policies and
Procedures are inserted progressively on the first practicable
occasion into the contracts entered into by First Purchasers with
their non-final subsequent purchasers, and into the contracts
entered into by such non-final subsequent purchasers with their
respective non-final subsequent purchasers.
26. BAT Companies shall not accept any payments for the sale
of BAT Cigarettes unless these payments are:
(a) wires or cheques, from a previously designated bank
account in the name of the Contractor;
(b) cashier's cheques or bank drafts from a bank in which the
Contractor has a previously designated account; or
(c) cash, but only in those instances where payment forms (a)
and (b) above are not available to the Contractor.
Exceptions to the 3 payment methods set forth above may be
made on a case-by-case basis. Such exceptions must be approved by
the country manager, and the reasons for granting any such
exception shall be documented.
All payments received by BAT Companies shall be in the same
currency and in substantially the same amount as those indicated
on the invoice. Payments for a single invoice or group of
invoices shall be made by a single instrument unless another form
of payment has been approved by the country manager.
Pre-shipment Notice and Product in
Warehouses
27. BAT shall, upon receiving a reasonable request from OLAF
or any Participating Member State, inform OLAF and/or the
requesting Participating Member State, if any, of quantities of
BAT Cigarettes kept in stock as of the date of the request in tax
and customs warehouses in the possession, custody or control of
BAT Companies in such Participating Member State under the regime
of transit or duty suspension. In particular, such a request may
ask for the following information:
(a) the date of the shipment from the last point of BAT's
physical custody of the BAT Cigarettes;
(b) details concerning the BAT Cigarettes shipped (brand,
amount, warehouse);
(c) the intended shipping destination;
(d) the identity of the person to whom the BAT Cigarettes are
being shipped;
(e) the mode of transportation, including the identity of the
transporter;
(f) the expected date of arrival of the shipment at the
intended shipping destination; and
(g) the Intended Market of Retail Sale.
APPENDIX B
MARKET AND PRODUCT MARKINGS AND INFORMATION
Scope and Purpose
1. BAT Companies are committed to a continuous process of
research, development, dialogue and cooperation with the EU and
Participating Member States concerning product marking and
information procedures to combat the illegal trade in tobacco
products.
Identification of Intended Market of
Retail Sale
2. Packs and Cartons for BAT Cigarettes will bear markings
which enable the Intended Market or Markets of Retail Sale for
those products to be identified.
3. (a) BAT shall advise OLAF:
(1) of the markets for which the markings on the Packs and
Cartons for BAT Cigarettes, such as the health warning, language,
brand, name or variant, indicate the Intended Market of Retail
Sale and what the markings are;
(2) of the Intended Markets of Retail Sale for BAT Cigarettes
which share the same markings on the Pack and/or Carton as other
markets and what those markings are; and
(3) of any changes in these markings no later than 30 days
after any product bearing such new markings leaves the possession
of the relevant BAT Company.
(b) BAT shall provide OLAF on the Execution Date with 30
copies of a manual to show the Pack and Carton markings of the
BAT Cigarettes for the respective Intended Markets of Retail Sale
for those Cigarettes.
4. BAT Companies shall mark Packs and Cartons for BAT
Cigarettes with codes or other markings which, when decoded,
identify:
(a) the date of manufacture of the product;
(b) the factory of manufacture;
(c) the machine of manufacture; and
(d) the production shift of manufacture.
Master Case Labelling
5. BAT Companies shall place non-removable (to the extent that
removal would noticeably damage the underlying package), machine
and human readable markings on the Master Cases and Cartons used
for BAT Cigarettes sold to a First Purchaser made in or for sale
within, through or into the countries covered by this Agreement,
to enable the following information to be identified and recorded
when scanned or otherwise recorded:
(a) the First Purchaser's name and invoice or order
number;
(b) shipment date;
(c) destination of shipment;
(d) point of departure from the BAT Company's custody;
(e) consignee;
(f) Intended Market of Retail Sale;
(g) the date of manufacture of the product;
(h) the factory of manufacture;
(i) the machine of manufacture; and
(j) the production shift of manufacture.
6. The schedule for implementation of the Master Case and
Carton markings shall be as agreed between the Parties.
7. BAT Companies shall require their Contractors to take no
action, directly or indirectly, to alter, remove or deface any
markings placed by BAT Companies or on behalf of BAT Companies on
BAT Cigarettes or on the packaging of BAT Cigarettes or their
Master Cases or Cartons (unless such action is in relation to
applying replacement markings on Master Cases that have been
broken down for onward sale and/or distribution which comply with
paragraph 5 above).
Scanning of Master Cases
8. BAT Companies shall create and maintain a database through
the scanning of Master Cases and Cartons and the linking of
individual Master Cases and Cartons with the information listed
in paragraphs 4 and 5 above according to the timetable agreed
between the Parties.
9. The database shall include scanned and linked information
from all Intended Markets of Retail Sale for which scanning has
been implemented.
10. Upon notification to BAT of seizures in the Participating
Member States of significant amounts of BAT Cigarettes intended
for a market other than those covered by this Agreement, OLAF may
consult with BAT in respect of adding such a market to Appendix
C, and the Parties shall agree whether or not it is appropriate
to add such market to Appendix C. If the Parties cannot agree on
whether or not to add the market to Appendix C within 90 days of
any notice provided under this paragraph, the matter shall be
considered a Dispute to be dealt with in accordance with Section
11 of the Agreement. If any market is added to Appendix C, the
Parties shall agree on a reasonable timeframe for implementation
of Master Case and Carton marking and scanning for any such
market.
11. Master Case and Carton markings and the scanning of these
for the database shall not be required for those markets where
there is a single First Purchaser of the BAT Cigarettes for that
market, and if so agreed with OLAF, in all or some markets where
the BAT Company for that market or markets operates a direct
store sales distribution system.
Purchaser and Distribution
Information
12. (a) BAT shall inform OLAF of the markets in the
Participating Member States for which
(1) the local BAT Company operates a direct store sales
distribution system for BAT Cigarettes;
(2) a single First Purchaser has been appointed by the BAT
Company for BAT Cigarettes in that market; and
(3) more than one distributor has been appointed.
(b) BAT shall, as soon as reasonably practicable, but in any
event, within 30 days, advise OLAF of any change in any of these
distribution arrangements.
13. BAT Companies will maintain records to show the details of
the volumes, brands and shipments of BAT Cigarettes to their
Contractors for each market in which the Contractor manufactures,
sells, distributes and/or stores BAT Cigarettes.
Database
14. BAT shall grant OLAF and the Participating Member States
electronic access to the database created pursuant to paragraphs
8 and 9 above, in a reasonable format, within 3 months of the
first date of implementation of scanning pursuant to paragraph 8.
OLAF recognises that, from time to time, in respect of the
database there will need to be periods of maintenance when access
may be restricted and access may be limited by events beyond the
control of BAT (e.g. system failure etc).
Additional Customer Tracking
15. BAT shall develop an "Additional Customer Tracking
Programme" to provide assistance to any Contractor, or,
where appropriate, an indirect customer that wishes to
participate in a tracking programme consistent with the BAT
marking and scanning programme. Such "Additional Customer
Tracking Programme" shall, as appropriate, include,
training, technical assistance, hardware designations appropriate
to the scale of the customer's operation, and software consistent
with the collection of scanned and linked information in a
database similar to and compatible with the BAT database
established pursuant to paragraphs 8 and 9 above. Participation
in the "Additional Customer Tracking Programme" shall
require that the Contractor make commercially reasonable efforts
to provide BAT or the relevant BAT Company in an agreed format,
any databases created using the assistance provided. Reasonable
access to the information in these databases in turn shall be
provided by BAT to OLAF and the Participating Member States in
accordance with paragraph 14 above, via the same portal as used
in paragraph 14 above.
16. Upon request, BAT shall inform OLAF and/or the
Participating Member States of the status of the "Additional
Customer Tracking Programme", including lists of
participants and information and discussion on any significant
issues that may have arisen.
17. BAT Companies shall make commercially reasonable efforts
to require that a customer deploy Additional Customer Tracking as
soon as reasonably practicable following OLAF making a written
reasoned request to BAT to do so.
New Product Marking Technologies
18. BAT shall make commercially reasonable efforts to maintain
an ongoing research programme into new and/or enhanced Master
Case, Carton, and Pack marking technologies with the goal of
developing and permanently enhancing a system to mark Packs so as
to allow for the determination of the individual Master Case
and/or Carton in which they were shipped or packed which would be
linked into the Master Case and Carton scanning database
established pursuant to paragraph 8 above. This research
programme shall also seek to enhance Master Case and Carton
marking technology. BAT shall provide a report on new Master
Case, Carton or Pack marking technologies, if any, in its annual
compliance report provided to OLAF under Section 8.3 of the
Agreement.
19. Once the research programme described above allows for the
reasonable and industrially feasible implementation of the Pack
marking system, such system shall include the information
described in paragraphs 4 and 5 above, and shall be implemented
according to a reasonable timetable to be agreed between OLAF and
BAT.
20. As marking technologies continue to develop and new or
enhanced systems become reasonable and industrially feasible,
they shall be implemented by BAT according to a reasonable
timetable to be agreed between OLAF and BAT.
Appendix D
List of Arbitrators
1. Walter van Gerven
Cermarsinstraat 42
B-3012 Wilsele
Belgium
2. Hans Van Houtte
Institute for International Trade Law
Faculty of Law
B-3000 Leuven
Belgium
Appendix E
Escrow Notice
1. Any funds held in escrow pursuant to Section12.8 of this
Agreement shall be paid by BAT into an interest bearing deposit
account (the "Escrow Account") at a bank
nominated by the European Commission in Brussels (the
"Bank") in the joint names of BAT and the EU.
BAT shall irrevocably release these funds to the order of an
escrow agent appointed by the arbitrator (the "Escrow
Agent").
2. The Escrow Agent shall hold the funds on trust for BAT and
the EU in accordance with the terms set out below:
(a) Any reasonable bank or other charges arising on the Escrow
Account, and any reasonable fees and expenses arising out of the
appointment of the Escrow Agent, shall be charged to the Escrow
Account;
(b) Any interest or profit generated on the Escrow Account
(subject to any bank or other charges/fees properly charged to
the Escrow Account) (the "Income") shall accrue
to and form part of the Escrow Account. Each time part of the
funds in the Escrow Account is paid out, it shall have added to
it the corresponding proportion of the Income.
3. The Escrow Agent shall make payments out of the Escrow
Account only pursuant to a written order on behalf of the Parties
or the arbitrator(s), in accordance with Section 12.8 of this
Agreement. Any such payments shall be made to the accounts of BAT
and the EU as may be notified in writing to the Escrow Agent by
BAT or the EC from time to time.
Appendix F
Schedule of Payments by BAT
Payments to be made by BAT pursuant to Section 6.4 of this
Agreement over the term of 20 years from the Execution Date by
BAT will be made on a calendar year basis in accordance with the
following schedule:
• The first payment within 5 days of the Execution Date
prorated for the remainder of the calendar year;
• Each subsequent payment shall be made on the 5th
of January of each year.
• In each case, if the date below is not a Business Day,
payment will be made on the next subsequent Business Day.
The Payment Schedule:
Year |
in
EURO |
Date
Paid |
Year 1 |
[X/12th's of €6mn] |
Payment made within 5 days after
the Execution Date |
Year 2 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2011 |
Year 3 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2012 |
Year 4 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2013 |
Year 5 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2014 |
Year 6 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2015 |
Year 7 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2016 |
Year 8 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2017 |
Year 9 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2018 |
Year 10 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2019 |
Year 11 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2020 |
Year 12 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2021 |
Year 13 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2022 |
Year 14 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2023 |
Year 15 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2024 |
Year 16 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2025 |
Year 17 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2026 |
Year 18 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2027 |
Year 19 |
€ 6,000,000 |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2028 |
Year 20 |
[€ 20,000,000 + (12 - X)/12 of
€6 mn] |
Paid on the 5th of January,
2029 |
|
|
|
Total Paid |
€ 134,000,000 |
(equivalent to US$ 200M as of
the Execution Date) |
|
|
|